Conflict Resolution in Timor-Leste, Korea, Chechnya, and Afghanistan - Essay Example

The Korean wars, Timor-Leste, Chechnya, and Afghanistan wars constitute the most recent categories of wars that sought and still seek the intervention of the international community to assist in the management. In managing and quelling these wars, international communities need to employ various techniques depending on the contemporary situation in the individual countries and categories of conflicts.

The Korean conflict dates back to 1945 which saw two sides holding divergent views pitting into a war that led to the division of the Korean Peninsula into South and North. Before separation, Japan exercised the greatest control over the affairs of the Korean Peninsula (Briny). Later in 1945 and towards the end of World War II, USSR conducted an offensive attack on Japan that eventually led to the evacuation of Japan from the North. Upon the conclusion of the war, USSR took control of the Northern Korean Peninsula as the USA conquered the Southern Peninsula. Briny exemplifies that this kind of division saw the Southern Peninsula develop to favor the capitalist form of the economy while the North tended to favor the communist economy as led by the USSR.

As the difference compounded, the South formed its constitution and conducted an independent election in 1948. It was after the separation that leaders of both sides attempted to strategize on how to unify the two territories, but ideological differences prevailed and eventually led to inter-border wars. Since then, the war on leadership supremacy and territory has continued to be exhibited between the two countries (Briny). The latest firm of conflict has included the moves by the North of sinking a Southern ship and the battle for dominance over Yeonpyeong Island located towards the South.

Moves and attempts to reconcile South and North Korea, both international and internal ones, have proved unsuccessful. The complexities involved with the Korean War encompass the contribution of the USSR and China which constitute communists support for North Korea, and the United Nations and the US in particular constituting capitalist support for the South. From this view, it is obvious that any move by the UN to conduct an attack or impose strict sanctions on North Korea that has been causing strife would prove a lot of risk to international peace. For this matter, mediation would provide one of the alternatives and most convenient ways of unifying South and North Korea (Waldman and Ruttig, 1). This kind of mediation will have to involve China, Russia, the US, and other influential United Nations as mediating committees. While arguing the modalities of mediating the conflicting parties, the committee of mediation will have to employ lose and lose method of conflict resolution to first deal with their differences before getting to the actual mediation table. This approach will help impose a neutral and unanimous internationally accepted solution to the conflicting countries.

Another strategic technique for resolving the conflict between the two Korean countries is through managing spoilers (Waldman and Ruttig, 5). Managing the spoiler technique of conflict resolution involves the identification of the major impediments that resist efforts to attain peace. In the case of the Korean conflict, impediments to the efforts of achieving peace are mainly the ideological differences held by the developed communist and capitalist economies with the main players being Russia, China, and the US together with its supporter nations. After realizing this problem, the UN Peace Council will have to strategize systems to ensure satisfaction and total management of the differences. This approach will also help in the discovery of a serious and binding solution for the two Korean countries.

The Korean War also involved the fight for Yeonpyeong Island which typically lies towards the South of the Korean Peninsula. This conflict is likely to worsen in the future if the UN fails to take radical measures to contain the situation. Here lose-lose technique of conflict resolution would be better for containing the stalemate (Fisher, 5). The UN Peace Council will have to employ this technique by declaring the island as a “no man’s land”, and if possible, the island should remain in the hands of the UN Peace Council.